2. “The End Justifies the Means” When and how to use Computerised Assessment to Promote Learning Phil Davies School of Computing

3. What is computerised assessment? Easy Solution to increased student numbers … easier for lecturers MCQ …. Simple to create questions Highly Formative Organising Summative Assessment a formality Minimal Costs RUBBISH!!!!!!RUBBISH!!!!!!

4. Multiple Choice Tests OLAL Use simplest method –Select one from three Provide answer … Formative? 50 questions took about 10 minutes –Weakest students flew through Reason to slow down / Learn by doing it / Formative not EXPLAINATIVE/2 Passes Competition / timing / “BEEP” / Negative

5. OLAL

6. Use of the System Four Tests –Week 3(5%) Week 6 (10%) Week 9 (15%) Week 12 (20%) Improve first pass to second pass (short term???) Positive improvement from test 1 to 4 Weaker students benefited the most

7. EXAMPLE: what colour is the sky? Student A –give me three alternatives Student B –Blue Student C –sometimes it blue (summer), but sometimes grey, or even red!!

8. What makes up the other 50%? Skills of analysis … REAL SKILLS!! Synthesis / Presentation / Reasoning NEED AN ESSAY REAL WORLD –GIVEN CLUES? –GIVEN ALTERNATIVES? –ALLOWED TO GUESS?

9. ESSAYS Time consuming to mark Subjective (Lecturer).. Opinionated Should we assess grammar –Foreign Students –Pre-Requisite –Learning Outcomes FEEDBACK … WHAT FEEDBACK???

10. Computerised Asssessment (by Peers) or (with Plagiarism) SYSTEM Computerised Assessment of essays Peer Assessed Embedded Web Referencing Marked Properly Copious Comments (Destructive (honest?))

15. Success / Failure Major benefits –style / feedback / objectivity through subjectivity Problems –Wide range of marks / conflicting comments / why bother marking Marks for MARKING (how?) Long term benefit to ME?

16. Can it be used for final years? CRITICAL SKILLS / REFLECTIVE Self Assessment Peer Assessment Reflective Self Assessment Marks for Marking

18. Results and Feedback 55% within 5% of Self Assessment Mark and Peer Median Mark 80% within 10% of Self and Peer Median Mark QUALITY OF MARKING –remove second group from marking process –take deviation into account

19. When should I assess? Learning Outcomes must be assessed Example … heart operation Medical Student A Student B week 6 8/10 2/10 week 12 2/10 8/10 AT THE END … EXAMS?????? –No feedback/ Mitigating Circumstances / Limited question choice / Testing presentation and grammar skills again

20. “THE END JUSTIFIES THE MEANS” Train the students to pass the assessment of learning outcomes One essay to meet the learning outcomes at the end Train them how to write essays (peer feedback) … copy styles Present the correct material (peer selection)

21. Essay Produce an essay that can be used as a guide for a non-literate computing person in directing them how to build their own computer system. This computer will be used to play modern computer games, and also access the web. It must include choice of hardware / operating system / application software. Proposed costings should be included

22. Three Stages Components required to build a modern day personal computer system Operating System Choice Web access and tools FINAL AMALGAMATION

23. QUALITY? Student copy content /style / resources Students are learning Student work is being marked Student feedback destructive not constructive Final “amalgamated” work marked by tutor –CONVERGENT NOT DIVERGENT EDUCATION

24. CONCLUSIONS CAA not just for 1st years / not just MCQ Not easy to set up … changes lecturer from quantitative marker to qualitative marker Explainative CAA replacement for tutorials CAA can provide Quality Assessment Can aid “directing assessment” to meet learning outcomes Continual assessment may be divergent … who cares?